Certifications

Just like any service, professional shredding services are certified according to various standards bodies. These ensure quality and consistent services that adhere to various rules and regulations. When your company selects a shredding service for document and hard drive destruction, make sure it has the following certifications: NAID AAA and ISO-9001

NAID AAA Certification

NAID or the National Association of Information Destruction outlines a set of requirements that companies must follow specific to any type document or digital media destruction. NAID has a certification program called AAA for companies dealing with information disposal. To get AAA certified, the company must comply with certain requirements and pass unannounced audits. 

Some of the requirements for AAA certification are specific and discuss details about the screening process for potential employees, conducting drug and alcohol tests, or establishing procedures on handling sensitive data.

ISO-9001 Certification

The ISO-9001 is a general quality standard implemented by many companies that provide products and services. Any company that is certified has gone through and passed audits and must continually pass them to keep the certification. The standards originate from the ISO or the International Standards Organization. 

The ISO standards are primarily based on the seven “Quality Management Principles”. These principles help to ensure products and services meet customer demands while following a documented process. 

At a minimum, a professional shredding service should be ISO-9001 certified. Like any service, a consistent process must be followed to ensure privacy and proper destruction of documents. Shredding services that follow ISO-9001 must have documented procedures regarding the destruction of documents and digital media such as hard drives. Customers can expect consistent results with a company that has this certification. 

For example, a professional shredding service with the ISO-9001 certification will have established procedures on collecting discarded documents, disposing of documents, or the level of background checks needed for potential employees. This also ensures that all employees receive the appropriate training so that procedures are implemented correctly.